Key Timeline of Updates

From 15 July 2025

• The 12-Hour Response Rate metric will appear in your Shop Health page. TikTok Shop will start tracking how quickly you reply to buyer messages, specifically whether you respond within 12 hours. You’ll be able to monitor this performance via the Shop Health dashboard.

• No more Violation Points for slow replies. If you miss the 12-hour chat reply target, you won’t receive Violation Points. This gives sellers more flexibility and reduces penalties for occasional delays.

From 15 August 2025

• The 12-Hour Response Rate becomes the new standard. The old 24-Hour Response Rate will be removed. You’ll now be evaluated based on how often you respond within 12 hours instead.

• Faster responses will boost your Store Rating. If you consistently reply within 12 hours, your Store Rating will improve, which affects your eligibility for promotions, campaigns, and special seller programs.

Coming Soon

Two more chat performance metrics will be added:

• Chat Satisfaction Rate – Measures how happy customers are with your replies (possibly through thumbs up/down or feedback).

• Average Response Time – Shows how fast you typically reply to messages, regardless of the 12-hour rule.

These will also appear in your Shop Health page. And they’ll also influence your Store Rating, meaning better chat performance = more benefits.
 

Why Is Good Communication Important?

Good customer service, especially fast and helpful replies isn’t just about avoiding negative reviews. It directly helps your shop grow in the following ways:

1. It Makes Customers Happy

• When you respond quickly and helpfully, buyers feel valued.

• This builds trust and satisfaction, which increases the chances that they’ll buy from you again.

• Over time, this creates a base of loyal repeat customers.

2. It Boosts Your Store Rating

• TikTok Shop rewards sellers who provide great service by increasing their Store Rating.

• A higher Store Rating makes your shop more visible and more trusted by both the system and buyers.

3. It Unlocks More Opportunities for Growth

A good Store Rating makes you eligible to join:

• Campaigns – TikTok Shop’s promotional events to boost visibility and sales.

• Flash Sales – Time-limited sales that drive a surge in traffic.

• Affiliate Marketing Tools – Lets influencers promote your products, giving you wider reach.

• Exclusive programmes like:

  • Mall – A premium status for trusted sellers with better exposure.

  • Star Shop – A recognition program that offers extra perks and visibility.
     

What Counts Toward the 12-Hour Response Rate?

To keep your 12-Hour Response Rate high, you must respond to all buyer messages within 12 hours. The 12-hour rule applies every single day, including weekends and public holidays. This includes all types of messages, not just plain text.

What types of messages do you need to respond to?

• Text messages (e.g., questions about price, stock, shipping)

• Emojis and stickers (even if buyers don’t type anything)

• Photos (e.g., of defective products or product requests)

• Product or order cards (e.g., buyers sending specific product links)

How can you respond?

• You can reply manually, or

• Let the message be resolved through an automatic reply, like a chatbot or FAQ auto-response. As long as the buyer’s concern is considered answered, it counts.

What’s Excluded from Chat Performance Calculations?

TikTok Shop wants to make sure your chat performance stats are fair, so not every message counts toward your 12-hour response rate. The following types of messages are excluded:

1. Messages received while your shop is in Holiday Mode. If you’ve turned on Holiday Mode because you're away, any messages that come in during that time won’t be counted. You're not expected to reply while your shop is "closed."

2. Chats you started yourself. If you message a buyer first, such as sending updates or promotions (broadcasts), those don’t count in your response time metrics.

3. Messages resolved by automated replies or FAQs. If a buyer’s question is automatically answered by your chatbot or FAQ system, you don’t need to respond manually, and it will still count as resolved.

4. Messages from blocked customers. If you’ve blocked a customer, their messages are ignored in your chat performance calculations.

Going on a Break? Use Holiday Mode

If you know you won’t be able to reply to messages, for example, during a public holiday, vacation, or personal emergency, you should turn on Holiday Mode in your TikTok Shop seller settings.

What happens when you activate Holiday Mode?

1. Your shop will be temporarily closed. Buyers won’t be able to place new orders while you're away.

2. Buyers will be notified. A message will appear in your store letting customers know you’re not available at the moment.

3. Your chat performance tracking will be paused. You won’t be evaluated on response time or chat metrics during this break. This protects your 12-Hour Response Rate and Store Rating from being affected while you’re offline.
 

Stay Ahead by Mastering Customer Communication

TikTok Shop’s updated communication metrics signal a shift toward more responsive and buyer-focused selling. But these changes don’t just reward speed, they reflect how well you manage your operations under pressure. It’s not always about replying faster, but about having the right systems in place to stay consistent, even during peak hours or off-days.

By streamlining tasks like order syncing, product edits, and bulk updates, BigSeller reduces the manual workload that often eats into your customer response time. You’re not just reacting, you’re running a shop that can handle growth without losing its human touch.

Explore what better backend support can do for your customer service. Start using BigSeller for free today.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for practical tips, feature rollouts, and seller news, all in one place.